On the east coast of the United States, on a estate on Martha's Vineyard at the eastern end of Long Island, Celia returned to North America to see Simon again on Friday, November 15.

In just a few days, in the face of strong attention from international public opinion, the special task force of the Kiev authorities stationed in Donetsk quickly cracked the assassination of Sherban.

At a press conference summarizing the case, the Ukrainian side said that one of the five arrested murderers had a grudge against the layoffs at his factory after it was bought by a company owned by Sherban, and contacted several other accomplices to carry out the assassination.

That's.

Anyone who knows a little bit about the inside story knows that the whole thing is a fierce wrestling between the two major forces in Ukraine for the industrial assets of eastern Ukraine, and that the assassination attempt of Lazarenko a few months ago is not clean on both sides.

This kind of scandal is certainly not suitable for the public to know.

Even if you cover your ears and steal the bell.

Now that the case has been quickly solved, Leon Kuchma personally held a press conference to reassure journalists around the world that Ukraine will strengthen the protection of overseas investors, and Russia and the United States have not made any substantive follow-up after their voices, and the matter is over.

As for the ongoing surge and waves in private, it is not just for anyone to find out.

In the living room of a manor house near the sea at the southern end of Martha's Vineyard.

Celia Miller sipped her coffee slowly, occasionally glancing at the owner of her own house on the couch next to her, who was looking through the development plan of the casino with Erin Lauder in her arms.

After more than ten minutes like this, after reading the information, Simon Mo held Erin's waist in his arms, and kissed the girl's cheek and neck sideways, while asking, "How do you feel about this plan?"

Erin, who deliberately swore sovereignty in the man's arms because of Celia's appearance, quickly turned rosy under Simon's actions, pressed one of his big hands, shook her head, and said: "I don't understand this, but I don't know where Rivni is, can I really invest a lot of money to build a casino and attract tourists in the future?"

"Before Las Vegas became famous, it was just a desert town. ”

Erin saw Simon kissing the corner of her mouth again, she was really embarrassed to be so polite in front of outsiders, so she bit him and said, "Then you decide for yourself, it's all your money anyway." ”

Simon was not frightened by Irene's fake bite, and kissed the girl's earlobe again, and said: "Otherwise, the Lauder family will also get involved, and the little Noah who will be left to us in the future will make him the gambling king of Eastern Europe, which sounds very powerful, right?"

Erin was even more embarrassed: "I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, and besides, if my father decides about the investment, I can't control it." ”

After saying this, Irene, who has been cultivated as a lady since she was a child, finally couldn't stand being looked at so affectionately by Celia, broke free from Simon's arms and got up and said, "Okay, I'm going to take a nap, let's talk." ”

Simon reluctantly pulled the girl's arm until she got up and broke away a little bit, with affection: "I know that you can't sleep alone, I will come over to accompany you soon." ”

Erin gave Simon a blank look: "I like to sleep alone." ”

Seeing that the little hand was still being held by Simon, the man turned his face sideways, so he could only step forward and kiss him before he was let go.

It's just that just as she was about to turn around and go out, Erin, who was not stupid in her head, reacted that a certain guy was just deliberate, in order to make her unbearable and take the initiative to leave.

Finally, she threw out a 'I understand' look, and did not forget to nod politely to Celia, and Erin walked out anyway.

Waiting for Erin to leave, Simon glanced at Celia with a strange face: "Isn't it envious?"

For some things, Simon did not deliberately hide it, and Celia naturally knew that although it was inevitable that her heart would move, the woman did not answer, but said: "Noah, a very good name." ”

"Yes, Irene, we all hope it's a boy, and then we'll call Noah Lauder Westeros. ”

After all, it is the boss's private matter, even if there is an intimate relationship, Celia still puts her position very right, nodded and didn't say anything more, and instead asked, "What does the boss think of this plan?"

Simon said: "If everything only needs 200 million dollars, you can try, but to really start, this money is definitely not enough." ”

Celia also agreed.

If you want to build a gambling city, infrastructure such as casinos and hotels is just the beginning, and 200 million US dollars in Ukraine can indeed spread the stalls.

The key is the follow-up operation.

Just like Atlantic City, although it is not too much of a failure, compared to the vigorous construction of the original city, the results are now far below the expectations of investors.

This is the case with Atlantic City, which has many advantages, and it is a gambling city located in an unknown and remote state in Eastern Europe, and it is definitely not ordinary to do it. At that time, once the operation of the casino is not ideal, this project is likely to be like a runaway movie project like "Future Water World" or "Titanic", which is still being filmed.

It's hard to say if it will become a bottomless pit.

After a little deliberation, Celia said: "From the point of view of the operation of the spa resort and the military theme park, Andre and Alexander are very good, and they continue to explore and learn, which is a very important positive factor, if this passion of the two can continue for five to ten years, or if the owner is willing to use the resources of the Westeros system to support, I believe that the probability of success of this casino is more than 70%." ”

Simon closed the document in his hand and said, "I'll find someone to evaluate it again, Celie, tell me about your trip to Ukraine a few days ago?"

Celia sorted out her thoughts, and talked in detail about the contacts with Viktor Pinchuk, Viktor Yanukovych, and Yulia Tymoshenko, as well as some other consultations, as well as other schedules, and even the fact that the Kolkoshko family wanted to come over on Thanksgiving to give gifts.

Some of these things Simon had already learned about in the memo submitted by Celia, and when he heard that Evgenia wanted to come over on Thanksgiving, he just smiled, saying that Celia directly told Janet that it was.

In addition, there is a little emotion in my heart.

Yanukovych also played.

This politician from the Donetsk Gang, who once became the president of Ukraine, can be said to be the worst among the previous presidents of Ukraine, and the root of the matter lies in the pro-Russian position of the other party. It's a pity that Russia is no longer the former Soviet Union, and the deity will be pressed and beaten by the United States, not to mention supporting Yanukovych's governance, and what can be done in the end is to give political protection to this little brother in distress with righteousness, so as to prevent the other party from being arrested and thrown back to Ukraine and thrown into prison.

After the general discussion, Celia finally couldn't hold back and asked: "Boss, this turmoil is an excellent opportunity for us to expand in Ukraine, why give it up, everyone regrets and doubts about this? Just like Tymoshenko, if the boss agrees to the woman's defection, we can directly control Ukraine's natural gas supply." ”

"If I want to invest in natural gas, I can go directly to Russia to buy oil and gas fields, this is the real energy business, Tymoshenko is just a second-tier dealer who relies on monopoly distribution channels to grab profits," Simon shrugged his shoulders and said: "As for why you don't take the opportunity to expand, of course I know your thoughts, take advantage of this opportunity to destroy the Lazarenko lineage, and at the same time march into eastern Ukraine to annex the Donetsk gang, when the time comes, we will basically control the whole of Ukraine, right?"

Celia didn't nod rashly, but asked, "Boss, is there anything wrong with this?"

"Frankly, I almost couldn't resist this desire to expand, but fortunately, I finally held the line," Simon said, seeing that Celia was still puzzled, and added: "Celia, let me ask you, why do you think the Westeros system has grown at a near-miraculous rate in the past ten years?"

This question is too big, Celia thought about it, and could only smile: "Because the boss is a genius." ”

Simon smiled and shook his head, didn't force Celia to answer, and took the initiative: "I don't deny that I have my own secrets. However, one of the key factors in the rapid rise of the Westeros system over the past decade is that I have never competed with others in the various traditional industries that have formed monopolies, so I have bypassed the competitive hurdles that many entrepreneurs often encounter. Just like Daenerys Entertainment, since its establishment, in order to avoid the suppression of the old seven at that time, I have been cooperating with foreign countries and giving away a lot of interests, until now, this company also has cooperation projects with several other Hollywood giants. Then there is the Internet field, which is more typical, it is a new industry from scratch, so the Westeros system can also grow rapidly in an environment with few competitors. ”

Celia was enlightened.

Simon looked at Celia's expression and continued: "My layout in Ukraine is the same, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the most valuable assets inherited from the former Soviet Union are in the east and south, but I did not develop in the southeast, but aimed at a border state in the most poor and backward northwest, and invested a lot of money to develop from scratch, plus I continued to make concessions to Ukraine, which did not cause covetousness and backlash from Ukraine's native forces. ”

Seeing Celia's nodding appearance, Simon still didn't stop: "People always like to get something for nothing, it's nature, it's just that things that are too easy to get are often difficult to hold in their hands for a long time, just like the fierce confrontation between Lazarenko and the Donetsk gang for the industrial assets of East Ukraine, they all thought that this was something that could be obtained without paying too much, and as a result, Yev Sherban even lost his life." There is also Tymoshenko, the gas princess seems to be very beautiful, but as soon as the political situation in Ukraine changes, the monopoly gas distribution channel she now has in her hands will be snatched away almost immediately, which is also something that cannot be grasped. In comparison, our layout in Rivne Oblast in the past two years has taken shape, and the next step is to operate patiently and create a super Rivne consortium that is strong enough to easily control the Ukrainian economy, and when the time comes, this Eastern European country will naturally be in our hands. It's like Hollywood, with the current strength and size of Daenerys Entertainment, I say that I am the king of Hollywood, do you think anyone is against it?"

Celia subconsciously nodded slightly, reacted, and quickly shook her head, and finally didn't know whether to nod or shake her head, so she could only smile: "Boss, I understand." ”

Simon showed a satisfied expression, but took the initiative to change the conversation: "However, I have actually been thinking about this in the past few days. ”

"Huh?"

"We have made such a big move, if we don't take the initiative to ask for something, it will make the Ukrainian landlords feel uneasy, thinking that we are planning something bigger. ”

Celia immediately agreed: "Boss, in fact, this is what I want to say. ”

Simon said: "So, next, Rivni can apply to the Kyiv authorities for the establishment of a free trade zone, which is the benefit we hope to get this time." ”

"Free trade zone?"

"Yes, you know this, it was brought up by the Rivni city government two years ago. However, the initial plan to set up a special economic zone in imitation of China will certainly not work, and as long as Kiev is not crazy, it will no longer be possible to make a comprehensive resource tilt towards Rivni, and their own resources will not be enough. Then take a step back and promote the establishment of a free trade zone with tariff exemption rights in Rivni, without the restrictions of trade categories and tariffs, which will not only attract more investors to Rivni, but also get a better development platform for the 'light industry complex' plan proposed by Sergei. Moreover, just after the storm of the assassination of Sherban, neither the Kiev authorities nor other forces will rashly jump out to oppose this plan. ”

Celia then remembered the proposal that had been temporarily suppressed by Simon.

After all, development plans such as casinos are only corners, and the industrial core of Rivne Oblast is still light industrial products and OEM industry, and both are export-oriented. In this case, it would be better to turn Rivni into a free trade zone in order to promote the further development of the Rivne region.

Moreover, in the current situation in Ukraine, the resistance to the free trade area proposal to be approved by Kiev is also the lowest.

So she quickly raised her interest and seriously discussed with her boss for more than half an hour, and Celia finally said goodbye and left, intending to contact Rivne's side immediately.

Simon personally sent Celia to board the helicopter back to Greenwich, watched the helicopter disappear into the blue blue sky of winter, felt the sparseness of the surrounding trees because of the withering leaves and the lack of green shade, and casually raised his arms to stretch his body before walking towards the villa for a while.

This is actually a Lauder family estate.

After Erin became pregnant, Estee Lauder, the founder of Estee Lauder who is still alive and of course the girl's grandmother, personally decided to assign the estate to this granddaughter, saying that it was a gift to a little guy in Erin's womb.

Returning to the common white-walled and blue-roofed villa in the United States, Simon looked up and saw the girl who had woken up by the bedroom window on the second floor greeted him, responded with a smile, made a waiting motion, and quickly entered the villa and came to the bedroom on the second floor.

However, although she obediently allowed the man to pick herself up from the sofa by the window and put it on her lap, Erin leaned between Simon's collar and sniffed, dissatisfied: "After talking for so long, you still said to take a nap with me?"

"Do you want to sleep again?"

"Where can I still sleep," Erin raised her hand and hit the man's shoulder, leaned over softly, and said in a complaining tone, "Are you going to leave later?"

It's all in this tone, although he arrived the afternoon before yesterday and has been with the woman for two days, Simon can only say: "Of course not, we will stay here tonight and tell you ghost stories." ”

Erin pouted, pulled Simon's big hand to his mouth and bit it, but he didn't use any force, and he still complained after letting go: "You don't love me, you don't marry me, you just want to possess, and you got me pregnant, you should accompany me more now, right?"

Simon in turn pressed a small hand of the girl to his heart: "Feel it, I'm about to feel guilty to stop." ”

Erin really felt it for a while, and rolled her eyes: "Liar." ”

Simon bowed his head and kissed the girl on the lips again.

After a while, the two separated, and Irene, who was a little more satisfied, did not release the magic of resentment, and the toe of the thin socks tapped the thick stack of materials on the coffee table next to her. These were brought by Simon yesterday, and the girl couldn't hold back her curiosity just now: "It's all the information of the Mellon family, and you plan to do bad things?"

Simon subconsciously played with meme: "Why do you say it again?"

IRENE OBVIOUSLY COULDN'T GET IT, BUT SAID: "THE MELON FAMILY IS MUCH STRONGER THAN THE HEARST FAMILY, SO I ADVISE YOU NOT TO MESS AROUND." ”

Simon nodded, seeing that the girl still had concern and reminders in her eyes, and said with a smile: "In order to avoid being messed with by others in the future, or even affecting our children, of course I won't mess around easily, and it must be within the rules." ”

Erin saw that Simon understood what she meant, and said no more.

Simon glanced at the stack of materials, and he was also emotional.

Through the investigation of the Mellon family these days, Simon found that compared to the Hearst family, who trapped themselves in the media field, the Mellon family's asset territory and network of contacts are almost the ultimate goal template that he has been subconsciously laying out for the Westeros family.

At this stage, the Mellon family has financial capital such as Mellon Financial Group, which controls a large number of local city banks, mining capital, Alcoa, which ranks among the world's top production capacity, GTI Company, which controls a large number of domestic railways, transportation capital, Warner Lambert, which was acquired by Ruihui for $90 billion, and energy capital that holds shares in the famous Chevron.

All of these listed companies have a market capitalization of more than $10 billion, and their annual profits are quite rich and stable, which together form the current asset foundation of the Mellon family.

Over the past 100 years, the Mellon family's stake in these companies has been very small, basically within 10%, and as for Warner Lambert or Chevrolet, it is not even 5%. However, through the ownership of hundreds of family funds, trusts, and philanthropic foundations in these companies and the network of contacts built over the past century, the Mellon family directly or indirectly controls a large number of board seats in these companies and affiliated companies, so although they only hold a small number of shares, the Mellon family still has a considerable say in these companies.

Among them, such as the industrial transportation company GTI, is still headed by Timothy Mellon as the CEO, and is directly controlled by the Mellon family.

This is the entire Mellon family, although it has only billions of dollars in assets, it can affect the capital base of the 100 billion industrial empire.

With a small, broad and intertwined capital structure, even if the Westeros system has formed an absolute crushing of the Mellon family's involvement in the scale of the industry, if Simon wants the Mellon family to decline in the short term like the Hearst family, the traditional suppression methods will not work at all.

Because once Simon attacks the Mellon family, it is equivalent to touching a huge capital system involving finance, medicine, energy, mining and other fields.

And that's just at the capital level.

Through more than a century of continuous donations from dozens of various funds in the name of almost every family member, the Mellon family has woven a network of contacts in the fields of politics, economics, and culture.

Speaking of education, the Mellon family's foundation has donated almost all of the world's top universities such as Harvard, MIT, Yale, and even overseas Cambridge, Imperial College London, etc., once there is a conflict with the Mellon family, if the family background cannot compete with it, perhaps as long as the other party says a word, they can close their opponents out of the door of a large number of prestigious schools.

That's what really deeproots.

Simon wants to suppress the old money of the Mellon family, and within the rules, he can only draw the capital that the Mellon family relies on through a long period of struggle, and then slowly cut off its network of contacts, and finally make the family completely lose its influence on the Federation.

As the Westeros system began to expand into traditional industries around the world that were still controlled by a large amount of old money capital, it was almost inevitable that it would conflict with the old money system in the United States and even the world. Therefore, Simon did not intend to give up because he found that the bone of the Mellon family was too difficult to gnaw, but was more motivated, as if this was a trial, as long as the Mellon family could be defeated, other old money would be vulnerable in front of the Westeros system.